Former Somerset pub on A37 to be turned into housing

The pub building will be demolished and seven homes will be built

A former pub on a busy Somerset road will be turned into housing.

The Queen's Arms, which closed several years ago, lies on the A37 between Yeovil and Shepton Mallet.

Royanne Ltd applied for permission to demolish the building and build seven homes, following earlier attempts to redevelop the site in 2016 and 2018.

At its first public meeting in Shepton Mallet, Somerset Council's new planning committee east approved the proposals.

As part of the development, a new footpath and cycleway will be built along Wraxall Road, with the aim of making it safer and easier to move between the A37 and neighbouring village Ditcheat.

As the development consists of fewer than ten new homes, the Bournemouth-based developer is not legally bound to provide any affordable housing within the site.

'Very sad'

Councillor Bente Height said she was disappointed that attempts to revive the pub had not been successful.

She said: "I am very sad to see this particular pub disappear - I spent many lovely evenings there."

"I do not like tandem parking and I can see there is plenty of it there. That will always end in arguments, and you have done nothing to stop it," she added.

The developer is not legally bound to provide affordable housing within the site

A spokesman for Pure Town Planning, representing the applicant, said: "The loss of the public house as a community facility was accepted as the former use was no longer viable and, due to its geographical location, was unlikely to generate sufficient customers to retain its opening as a viable business."

Councillor Barry Clarke raised concerns about the size of the proposed gardens within the development.

He said: "I think in this day and age, when we're trying to be a bit more self-sufficient, we need to think about the size of the gardens.

"There's not enough space for the children to play - they'll end up playing in the car park."

Despite these reservations, the committee voted to approve the plans by a margin of nine votes to one, with two abstentions.